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Character Creation
Athasian characters differ wildly from characters in other worlds but they're still Savage World characters. In some ways more than most. Below is a step-by-step look at how characters for this campaign should be created. If you need extra details then ask your DM about the Core Rule book for Savage Worlds. Just keep in mind that some races, items, and Edges from the core system may not fit into Athas while certain Homebrew quirks won't be presented in the book. The best rule of thumb is to go by this page and ask for help any time you need it. Choose a Race At one point a number of races were wiped from the map. Entirely. You won't find trolls anywhere. The dwarven people nearly vanished and they still whisper of the Dragon's Culling today. Whether it's true the Dragon is responsible for the decimation of the dwarves is still up for debate. The surviving races of Athas are still thriving. Together they've rebuilt something like society. Here are just the generalities. Specific customs may vary from tribe to tribe or region to region. Aarakocra Avian humanoids who make their clan homes in the mountains around the tablelands though some Aarakocra venture out to see the wider world. Dwarves More heavily muscled than their counterparts from other worlds, Athasian dwarves dedicate themselves to a single Focus as their life's purpose. Dray Created many centuries ago by the sorcerer-king of Giustenal to serve as a race of mage-warriors, dragonborn – or dray, as they call themselves – are a strong, resilient race of dragonlike humanoids Elves The elves are a tall, athletic people known for their endurance & nomadic lifestyle as much as their mistrust towards outsiders. Half-Elves Shunned by the elves and mistrusted by humanity, Half-elves often find themselves living their life on the fringes of society. Half-Giants Twice the size of a man, Half-Giants tend to imprint on other people like ducklings and are every bit as prone to whimsy as they are to property damage Halflings Born from an ancient culture the Halflings of Athas value nature and the world as it is while most everyone else views them as miniature cannibals. Humans Much of Athas's population is human due to their adaptability, penchant for building communities, and the lethal whims of the Sorcerer-Kings. Mul Born to never say die, muls are bread in slave pens from human & dwarven stock to work harder and fight longer for their taskmasters. Thri-kreen The Mantis Warriors of the Tablelands, Thri-kreen live in nomadic hunting parties seeking their prey without rest until their short lives burn out. Flesh Out Some Details Characters are defined by much more than their Race and Traits. They’re individuals with their own stories, interests, connections, and capabilities beyond those that social class and race define. This step expounds on the details that distinguish characters from one another, including the basics of physical description, the rules of history & languages, and the finer points of personality. Physical Description Your character’s name and physical description might be the first things that the other players at the table learn about you. It’s worth thinking about how these characteristics reflect the character you have in mind. Names tend to vary by race, as do skin, hair, and eye colors. Sort through a Google Image search of your race if you need some inspiration. Your character's gender is entirely up to you. Height and Weight values below denote the male/female values with a slash but the modifier for both is the same. That is the only mechanical difference between the genders in the whole game. Height & Weight You can decide your character’s height and weight using the information provided in the Height and Weight table below. If you want to, you can roll randomly for your character’s height and weight. The dice roll given in the Height Modifier column determines the character’s extra height (in inches) beyond the base height. That same number multiplied by the dice roll or quantity given in the Weight Modifier column determines the character’s extra weight (in pounds) beyond the base weight. Age Your character’s age is determined by your choice of race. As your character ages, his or her physical abilities scores change, as described below. It's a good idea to pick a birthday for your character when you create them using the Calendar of Tyr as their astrological sign may play out in the story later. It's easiest to pick a starting age and work backwards from there. Personal Characteristics Fleshing out your character’s personality—the array of traits, mannerisms, habits, beliefs, and flaws that give a person a unique identity—will help you bring him or her to life as you play the game. Three categories of characteristics are presented here: ideals, bonds, and languages. Beyond those categories, think about your character’s favorite words or phrases, tics and habitual gestures, vices and pet peeves, and whatever else you can imagine. Ideals Describe one ideal that drives your character. Your ideals are the things that you believe in m ost strongly, the fundamental moral and ethical principles that compel you to act as you do. Ideals encompass everything from your life goals to your core belief system. Ideals might answer any of these questions: * What are the principles that you will never betray? * What would prompt you to make sacrifices? * What drives you to act and guides your goals and ambitions? * What is the single most important thing you strive for? You can choose any ideal you like, but make sure your DM knows what it is. Characters that make a sacrifice to uphold their ideals are more likely to earn a Benny. Bonds Create one bond for your character. Bonds represent a character’s connections to people, places, and events in the world. They tie you to things from your background. They might inspire you to heights of heroism, or lead you to act against your own best interests if they are threatened. They can work very much like ideals, driving a character’s motivations and goals. Bonds might answer any of these questions: * Whom do you care most about? * To what place do you feel a special connection? * What is your most treasured possession? Your bonds might be tied to your powers, your background, your race, or some other aspect of your character’s history or personality. You might also gain new bonds over the course of your adventures. Language Language is about more than just words, it's about expression. Language shapes the way we think. If you don't have a word for something, how hard is it to grasp the concept? Your race indicates the languages your character can speak by default, and your history might give you access to one or more additional languages of your choice. Note these languages on your character sheet. Choose your languages from the Standard Languages below, or choose one that is common in your campaign. With your DM ’s permission, you can instead choose secret language, such as thieves’ cant or the tongue of druids. * Aarakocra * Belgoi * Giant * Jozhal * Yuan-ti * Anakore (Dune Freaks) * Braxat * Genie * Gith * Halfling * Kenku * Thri-kreen Build Your Traits Every character has a collection of Traits that define what they can do. Attributes determine what you can do on your own and Skills determine what you've learned how to do. Both are considered Traits and may be used to make Trait Rolls. Any time you make a Trait Roll, roll the die for your Trait and a Wild Die of 1d6. Take whichever number is higher. Usually you want to beat a 4 but your DM may adjust that number. For now, let's assign your traits. Attributes Every character starts with a d4 in each attribute, and has 5 points with which to raise them. Raising a d4 to a d6, for example, costs 1 point. You’re free to spend these points however you want with one exception: no attribute may be raised above a d12. * Agility is your hero’s nimbleness, quickness, and dexterity. * Smarts is a measure of how well your character knows his world and culture, how well he thinks on his feet, and mental agility. * Spirit reflects inner wisdom and willpower. Spirit is very important as it helps your character recover from being Shaken (see page 77). * Strength is raw physical power and general fitness. Strength is also used to generate your warrior’s damage in hand-to-hand combat. * Vigor represents endurance, resistance to disease, poison, or toxins, and how much pain and physical damage a hero can shake off. Skills Skills are learned abilities such as Shooting, Fighting, scientific knowledge, professional aptitudes, and so on. These are very general descriptions which cover all related aspects. Shooting, for example, covers all types of guns, bows, rocket launchers, and other ranged weapons. You have 15 skill points to distribute among your skills. Each die type costs 1 point (starting at d4) as long as the skill is equal to or less than the attribute it’s linked to (listed beside the skill in parentheses). If you exceed the attribute, the cost becomes 2 points per die type. As with attributes, no skill may be increased above d12. Edges & Hindrances Hindrances are character flaws and physical handicaps that occasionally make life a little tougher for your hero. Some Hindrances are more or less subjective (such as Overconfident). They’re there to help you roleplay your character, and might even net you more Bennies since the Game Master awards them for properly playing your character. A character may take one Major Hindrance and up to two Minor Hindrances. You’re free to take more if you think they fit your character description, but you don’t get additional points for them. Major Hindrances are worth 2 points while each Minor Hindrance is a single point. Edges are just that, an extra something to help you rise above the competition. They can represent special training, unusual backgrounds, or being born lucky. Points gained from Hindrances can be spent on acquiring more Edges. Whatever you choose, try to keep in mind why your character would have that particular Edge. It's now a part of your story after all. For 2 points you can: * Gain another attribute point, or * Choose an Edge For 1 point you can: * Gain another skill point Powers If you've taken one of the Arcane Background Edges that grants you access to Powers, then you'll need to make some decisions. The number of powers you begin with is dictated by the Arcane Background you select. For example, magic users will need to select 3 powers while super humans only have to worry about 1 power. See the page on Athasian Magic for more details. Finishing Touches And that's it, you're nearly done! Take a moment to make sure you're happy with everything. Make changes as needed. Your DM will provide information on what gear and items, if any, your character begins play with.